Accounting is a rigorous and time-consuming profession. To become an
accountant in Kenya, an individual must graduate from one of the
nation's many accounting schools. The accounting schools train students
for the realities of the profession and prepare them to take the
necessary examinations as required by the Institute of Certified Public
Accountants of Kenya.
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Established in 1993, Bridge College is located in Kenya's
capital, Nairobi. The college's School of Business Management offers
students an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and finance course. It is an
18-month program that is divided into three six-month terms. Each term
costs between 9,000 and 10,500 Kenyan Shillings (between $109.95 and
$128.28 USD) as of June 2010. The course offers classes on bookkeeping,
entrepreneurship, accounting, business law, financial management,
auditing and taxation.
KCA University offers business management courses to
students. The university was created in 1989 after a report determined
that Kenya needed to graduate at least 400 accountants every year to
meet business demands. The School of Professional Programmes offers an
Accounting Technicians Certificate (ATC), a Certified Public Accountants
(CPA) degree and an Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA) degree.
The ATC course prepares decree holders to maintain accounting records
and other related technical tasks. The CPA course allows degree holders
to follow up with additional specialized courses in accounting such as
the ACCA. The ACCA is an internationally-recognized degree that allows a
degree holder to work outside Kenya.
Strathmore University is located in Nairobi. Its School of
Accountancy offers several degrees, including the Certified Public
Accountant Course (CPA) and the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants (ACCA). The CPA course includes classes in subjects such as
Cost Accounting, Financial Management, Taxation and Company Law. A
graduate with a CPA degree can work as accountants, tax managers or go
on to take specialized courses in accounting such as the ACCA. The ACCA
degree allows a graduate to work outside of Kenya as an accountant and
can be taken full time or part time.
Pinnacle Business School is located in Nairobi and was
established in 2007. It offers full-time and part-time students the
Accounting Technicians Certificate (ATC) and a Certified Public
Accountants (CPA) degree. Students taking the ATC course take classes in
Business Mathematics, Principles of Management and Auditing. The CPA
course includes classes in Entrepreneurship and Communication,
Economics, Cost Accounting, Auditing and Assurance. Each school year at
Pinnacle Business School is divided into two semesters. The first
semester runs from January through May while the second semester is from
July until November.